Facility management systems presently available are characterized by the following: 1) general purpose programmable digital controllers, 2) discrete sensor/actuator interfaces, 3) communication interfaces, and 4) many different physical and logical interfaces. These systems require extensive customization for every installation. The system designer/installer must: develop and test application programs; define and construct multiple databases; design, build and install interface panels between digital controllers and the building's electrical/mechanical systems; train users on how standard features apply to specific needs of the facility; and develop maintenance and troubleshooting procedures for the customized portions of the system. All of these activities must be repeated every time a change to the building/network occurs.
Facility management systems presently available are constructed by the assembling of system components that include: controllers, communications interface devices, power supplies, interconnection devices, multiple enclosures, digital/electronic-to-electrical, electrical-to-digital/electronic, pneumatic-to-digital/electronic, digital/electronic-to-pneumatic control interface devices. Present installation configurations require custom engineering and design of facilities management systems utilizing system components that are characterized by nonstandard sizes, forms and installation methods. The performance characteristics of system components presently available require that these components be physically and electromagnetically separated by grouping them into two or more separate metallic enclosures. The installation of systems using presently available system components requires extensive engineering labor to design the multiple enclosure configurations and associated component-to-component interconnections. Extensive field-site labor is required to mount components, to interconnect components with discrete wiring and with cabling, and to verify that component-to-component connections are correct.
By applying new technologies it is possible to integrate all of the system components into a single nonmetallic enclosure, to standardize mounting methods, and to eliminate field-site component-to-component connections. This system component installation simplification results in an installation configuration with the following benefits: engineering and design labor savings; field-site labor savings; component organizational consistency providing ease of use and ease of service; increased system reliability due to reduction of component interconnections.
Another reason present system configurations utilize various form-factor system components that are custom engineered and mounted into multiple enclosures is the need to provide differing components according to the varied and unique need of each building/facility controls application. By utilizing a modular approach to the design of system components, thus required flexibility can be achieved by providing a variety of component types characterizing various performance capabilities where these component types are packaged into standardized module housings that are consistent with a modular mounting configuration. Thus, module types can be mixed and matched to satisfy each unique application requirement yet be mounted, used and serviced in a consistent manner.